Monday, April 28, 2014 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Long Vowel Progression - The first part starts with an S and follows with a long vowel sound that forms a word.

17A. "Waiting for your signal" : "SAY THE WORD"

24A. Be in complete accord : SEE EYE TO EYE

39A. Sound that may be "heaved" in a classroom : SIGH OF BOREDOM

54A. Oath-ending words : "... SO HELP ME GOD"

64A. "Alphabet series" mystery writer (she's up to "X") : SUE GRAFTON

Argyle here, pleased to be doing a Marti puzzle. Nice fill and six packs in the corners. Nice start to the week and the end of the month. Is it safe to say spring is here?

Across:

1. Nile dam : ASWAN

6. Start a card game : DEAL

10. Stone Age dwelling : CAVE

14. "The final frontier," on "Star Trek" : SPACE

15. Fairy tale meanie : OGRE

16. Curved molding : OGEE

19. Forest growth : TREE

20. Coastline concern : EROSION. And canyon former.

21. Garden entrance : GATE. "Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight,

Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate."

23. R-V link : S-T-U

29. Fill completely : SATE

31. Ex-NBA star Ming : YAO. He retired in 2011 due to injuries to his foot and ankle. He is 7 ft, 6 in.

32. Beginning : ONSET

33. Federal property agcy. : GSA. (General Services Administration)

36. Strikeout king Nolan : RYAN. He ended his career in 1993

38. Airport screening org. : TSA. (Transportation Security Administration)

43. __-dried tomatoes : SUN

44. Potpourri : OLIO

45. Wrath : IRE

46. Nebraska's most populous city : OMAHA

48. Genetic letters : RNA

50. Turn, as a burger : FLIP

58. Dictator Amin : IDI

59. __ Minor: Little Dipper : URSA

60. Continent-spanning landmass : EURASIA

62. Spanish artist Joan : MIRO. ???

67. Needing mending : TORN

68. "Gone With the Wind" plantation : TARA

69. Spanish painter El __ : GRECO. Toledo.

70. Fellows : GUYS

71. Ooze : SEEP

72. PlayStation and Discman : SONYs

Down:

1. Evaluate : ASSESS

2. Ancient Greek city-state : SPARTA

3. Exit door : WAY OUT

4. Behaves : ACTS

5. Classic grape sodas : NEHIs

6. "Iron Man" actor Robert __ Jr. : DOWNEY

7. A star may have a big one : EGO

8. LAX incoming flight datum : ARR. (Arrival)

9. Pigeon's perch : LEDGE

10. Word before boll or Bowl : COTTON

11. Goes along with : AGREES TO

12. Geese formation : VEE

13. Wide shoe spec : EEE

18. Fair-hiring abbr. : EOE. (equal opportunity employment)

22. One making amends : ATONER

25. Hammer or anvil, anatomically : EAR BONE

26. Toy on a string : YO-YO

27. Polite rural reply : "YES'M"

28. Greek "H" : ETA

30. It came before the chicken--or maybe after? : EGG

34. Shallow sea hazards : SHOALS

35. Yahoo! alternative : AOL

37. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

39. Japanese heavyweight sport : SUMO

40. Pressed for time : IN A HURRY

41. Law partnership, e.g. : FIRM

42. Rock's __ Leppard : DEF

43. Scouring pad brand : S.O.S

47. Great blue waders : HERONs

49. May-December wedding issue : AGE GAP

51. Pay attention : LISTEN

52. Foolishness : IDIOCY

53. Steinways, e.g. : PIANOs

55. Personal histories : PASTS

56. "... __ daily bread" : OUR

57. Fast, short auto races : DRAGS

61. Puffy hairdo : AFRO

62. Item on a business sched. : MTG. (meeting)

63. Letters from one who is short? : IOU

65. Persian Gulf fed. : UAE

66. Before, to a bard : ERE

Argyle

Sunday April 27, 2014 Gail Grabowski

 Theme:  "Featured Article"- Article THE spans across each two-word theme entry.

23A. Organic farming staple : COMPOST HEAP. My sister-in-law has a compose pile in her backyard. (Added later: I meant compost pile.)

25A. Co-beneficiary : JOINT HEIR

38A. Batsman's protection : CRICKET HELMET

49A. Slim down and shape up, say : GET HEALTHY. Oh, Jayce & Lucina, I never head of yesterday's Crab Rangoon either.  Cheese does not exist in real Chinese cuisine.

68A. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" author : ERNEST HEMINGWAY

89A. Stand up to : MEET HEAD-ON

97A. Government appropriations session : BUDGET HEARING

117A. Became discouraged : LOST HEART

119A. Floor-warming technique : RADIANT HEAT

121D. Featured article hidden in this puzzle's nine longest answers : THE

Simple theme. Very consistent T & HE split.

Notice Gail placed THE at the last Down slot.  Not the last Across. Had she done latter, there would be triple-stacked 7's (not easy to fill cleanly) besides the 3's, or she would have to put two cheaters besides the final THE.

Across:

1. Spanish desserts : FLANS. Sweet start.

6. Loads of fun : A HOOT. And 21A. Words after make or devise : A PLAN.  Also 91A. "That's __!": director's cry : A WRAP.  Now you see why the first two are not clued as straight partials.

11. Loaded, in Limoges : RICHE. Alliteration is often used in foreign word entry. See also  79D. Tijuana title : SENOR

16. Local geog. division : TWP (Township)

19. Bar mitzvah reading source : TORAH

20. Help with the kids : NANNY

22. Member of the flock : EWE

27. Honshu city : KYOTO. Literally "Capital city". Tokyo means "Eastern capital", east of Kyoto, of course.

28. Regarding : AS PER

30. Pleads not guilty : DENIES IT. Not easy to parse.

31. Flimsy : LAME

33. Minimal effort : EASE

34. Salt in chem class : NaCL

35. Like some access : LIMITED

44. Hydrocarbon suffix : ENE

45. Second-smallest st. : DEL

47. Keema __: meat-stuffed bread : NAAN. Never had it. Did you really had Mexican food & beer after doctor's visit the other day, D-Otto? Or were you just kidding?

48. Compact coloring : ROUGE

54. Devices that can correct diplopia : PRISMS. Did not know "double vision" is called "diplopia".

57. Single, for one: Abbr. : SYN (Synonym). Single & One are synonyms. Lovely clue.

58. '60s "Super!" : GROOVY

59. Shows of support : YEAS

61. Garfield's "purebred clown" : ODIE

62. Energizes, with "up" : PEPS

63. Emulated a pirate : STOLE

64. Puts up : ERECTS

66. Food critic's criticism : NO TASTE. I like Cantonese food the most, the authentic one. It's a bit mild. Fresh seafood/fruits/veggie all year round there. No need to spice things up.

72. Water, often : DILUTER

75. Needles : TEASES

76. Drifters : HOBOS

80. Respond to "Let's hear it ..." : CLAP

81. Response to a capitán : SI, SI

84. Picked at random : DREW

85. Comfort : SOLACE

86. "Antz" effects, for short : CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery)

87. Opera set on Cyprus : OTELLO

93. Separate mil. service since 1947 : USAF

95. Thai language : LAO. Lots of Lao people in China too. We have 56 ethnic groups. Over 90% are Han.

96. Latin I verb : AMO

102. More significant : GREATER

105. Switch back? : EROO. Switcheroo. .

106. Hungarian castle city : EGER

107. Ranking symbol : STAR

108. Actor born Alphonso D'Abruzzo : ALAN ALDA. Vowel rich, like ED ASNER, hence their frequent appearances.

112. Jacksonville's county : DUVAL. Need crossing help.

114. Will of "Blue Bloods" : ESTES. Stranger to me.

122. Make a scene? : ACT. Nice clue.

123. Dangerous snake : ADDER

124. Idyllic regions : EDENS

125. Stagger : LURCH

126. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI. I was amazed at the dry wall stuff Marti did, and the various DIY projects TTP accomplished. My rose water spray and body scrub are DIYed though :-)

127. "Needless __ ..." : TO SAY

128. Tailor's tucks : DARTS

129. Cropped up : AROSE

 Down:

 

 1. Consumer protection org. : FTC

2. "Get a load of that!" : LOOK

3. Multitude : ARMY

4. City mentioned in the song "That's Amore" : NAPOLI. Naples.

5. Aimed for : SHOT AT

6. Tiny Amazon : ANT. Amazon ant. Never heard of it.

7. "Good one!" : HA HA

8. "Be right with ya" : ONE SEC

9. Even (with) : ON A PAR 

10. Enters : TYPES IN

11. Indian friend of TV's Sheldon and Leonard : RAJ. Do you still love "The Big Bang Theory",  Irish Miss?

12. It can help you carry a tune : iPOD

13. Customer : CLIENT

14. "Steel Magnolias" actress Daryl : HANNAH. I watched the "Steel Magnolias" long time ago. Can't remember any detail.

15. Decoys : ENTICERS

16. Golf bag items : TEES

17. Big conflict, briefly : WWII

18. Flippant : PERT

24. Eventually : SOMEDAY. Any luck yesterday, Splynter?

26. "You there?" : HELLO

29. Sports news staple : RECAP

32. Pulitzer-winning biographer Leon : EDEL. I'm surprised to see this guy.  We got him a lot in the old Tribune Daily puzzles.

35. Hose in a shell : L'EGGS

36. Motionless : INERT

37. "Ditto" : ME TOO

39. Big name in syrups : KARO

40. Oklahoma city named for a Tennyson character : ENID. "Idylls of the King".

41. Inspiration sources : MUSES

42. Karnak's country : EGYPT. Has any of you visited Karnak?

43. Wound up : TENSE

46. Parsec's 3.26, roughly: Abbr. : LT-YRS (Light-years)

50. Hide : HOLE UP

51. Chris known for her ground strokes : EVERT

52. Auto antifreeze brand : HEET

53. Regatta entry : YACHT

55. Joins the chorus : SINGS

56. Catty remark? : MEOW. Can picture the smile from LaLaLinda.

60. Mount : STEED

62. Radio bribe : PAYOLA

64. Like many King novels : EERIE.  Stephen King had a great interview with "Fresh Air" last year. I loved what he said below about God and his view change over the years. 

"I choose to believe it. ... I mean, there's no downside to that. If you say, 'Well, OK, I don't believe in God. There's no evidence of God,' then you're missing the stars in the sky and you're missing the sunrises and sunsets and you're missing the fact that bees pollinate all these crops and keep us alive and the way that everything seems to work together. Everything is sort of built in a way that to me suggests intelligent design. But, at the same time, there's a lot of things in life where you say to yourself, 'Well, if this is God's plan, it's very peculiar,' and you have to wonder about that guy's personality — the big guy's personality. And the thing is — I may have told you last time that I believe in God — what I'm saying now is I choose to believe in God, but I have serious doubts and I refuse to be pinned down to something that I said 10 or 12 years ago. I'm totally inconsistent."

Click here for more.

  

65. Excessive flattery : SMARM

67. Lake near Squaw Valley : TAHOE

69. Tweet source : NEST

70. "Uh-huh" : I SEE

71. Handrail post : NEWEL

72. 1983 Mr. T comedy : DC CAB

73. 20th-cen. largely female labor org. : ILGWU. I had to google: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. 

74. Scottish landowner : LAIRD

77. Lacking a knack for : BAD AT

78. Carol opening : O COME

82. Swing around : SLUE

83. To whom Rick said "We'll always have Paris" : ILSA. I can watch "Casablanca" again and again.

85. Cut : SHORTEN

87. Collapsible headgear : OPERA HAT

88. Propelled in a regatta, maybe : OARED

90. Follows (along) : TAGS

92. Deal sealer : AGENT

94. "Exactly what I thought" : FIGURED

98. City on Lake Erie : TOLEDO

99. Surfing wannabes : HODADS

100. More than 70% of its population lives in Clark County : NEVADA. What's your favorite spot in Las Vegas, Steve?

101. Landscaping machine : GRADER. Wow, I never knew  this is called grader.

103. "Stand and Deliver" Calif. setting : EAST LA

104. Garfield's successor : ARTHUR

108. Quaint plaint : ALAS

109. It may be picked : LOCK. Oh, hair.

110. Piedmont product : ASTI

111. Forte : AREA

113. Fluffy stuff : LINT

115. First name in Finnish American architects : EERO (Saarinen)

116. Egg holders : SACS

118. Not give up : TRY

120. Balaam's mount : ASS

C.C. 

Saturday, Apr 26th, 2014, Brad Wilber

Theme: Mini-theme Crossing in the Middle

Words: 70 (missing Q,X)

Blocks: 36

  The triple-packs in the corners today run in the Down direction, allowing shorter Across answers to start; that made this puzzle seem a little less intimidating - despite the crossing of two related 15-letter fills in the center of the grid.  I can think of someone here at the blog who is probably tired of the endless drain on time and money that house repairs can cost, but those two answers are right up my alley, and I am offically a 'house hunter' now....sorry, I was just daydreaming....anyway, just two other long answers, and what I believe is an even spread of proper names, literary references, math, science, biology, and history. 

Mini-theme:

32A. Reason for a loan : HOME IMPROVEMENT - the reason for my loan is just "HOME"

7D. You must keep it up throughout 32-Across : LOAD-BEARING WALL - the longer I looked for an image, the more ambiguous the results got

Other long entries:

25. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" novelist : RAY BRADBURY - love the title, but did not know anything about its author or plot

46. Deep-fried American Chinese dumpling dish : CRAB RANGOON

ardonwardonwardonw

ACROSS:

1. Sedona and others : KIAs - Automotive company, and I nailed it - had a good run to start

5. Wok bottom coats : OILS

9. Closed, for the most part : AJAR

13. Digging : INTO

14. Image on Maine's state flag : MOOSE - I thought it was a SNAKE, but that's this flag

16. Function : ROLE

17. "Yer __ tootin'!" : DURN - a bit meh, as I went with dArn, and figured it might be dErn, but dUrn~?

18. Bestow : AWARD

19. Liturgy : RITE

20. 18th/19th-century Neapolitan guerrilla __ Diavolo : FRA - "Brother Devil", Michele Pezza; the Wiki

21. Cameroon neighbor : CHAD

22. Complained : WHINED

24. Hall of Fame quarterback Dawson : LEN - dredged up from somewhere in my brain's crossword archives

27. Does some 32-Across, perhaps : ADDS ON - That's what I plan to do when I find the right property; so far, I found a 500sf house, and it was perfect, but already in contract.  I am going to try and look at another today

29. Cap extensions : EARLAPS - the Princess Leia version

30. Unlikely to come unglued : STOIC - not STUCK; this is more "resolve" than "Elmer's"

31. Golfer's challenge : SAND

39. Word with check or date : RAIN

40. 1969 Tony nominee for Best Musical : ZORBA

41. Mideast rubber : ALADDIN - ah, now I get it; not looking for rubber, but magic lamp rub-ber

45. Acorn-bearer with shallow roots : PIN OAK

48. Astoria-to-Salem dir. : SSE

49. Gentle blow : ZEPHYR - I was thinking "LOVE TAP" kind of blow, not the wind

50. Remove : WIPE

51. Give-go link : IT A

52. "I Got You Babe" record label : ATCO

53. Heavy lifter : CRANE

55. Memorable anticipator of 39-Across : NOAH - my mother said this movie was great, which surprised me; I am keyed up for the new "Godzilla"

56. Surf phenomenon : ROAR

57. Having more yellow than usual : YOLKY - because Jaundiced was a tad too long

58. Crucifix inscription : INRI - Crossword staple

59. People who are tight : SOTs - 9yrs, 3months, 18 days in my past

60. Further : ELSE

61. Head-turner : "PSST~!"

DOWN:

1. One of DC Comics' Teen Titans : KID FLASH - all perps

2. No longer fazed by : INURED TO

3. Willy-nilly : AT RANDOM

4. Family address : SON

5. Fred Astaire, for one : OMAHAN - I W.A.G.ed "OHIOAN"

6. State in a "State Fair" song title : IOWAY - Rodgers & Hammerstein - Link

8. Moldavia, once: Abbr. : SSR

9. Speedy exhortation : ARRIBA - I tried "ANDALE~!"

10. Enlist : JOIN UP

11. Takes in or lets out : ALTERS

12. Not robust, vocally : REEDY - tried RASPY at first

15. Short-lived English king of 1483 : EDWARD V - murdered (?) in the Tower of London

21. Saffron-yielding blooms : CROCI

23. Blood test initials : HDL - Cholesterol number

26. Monopolized the conversation : RAN ON

28. Salzburg pronoun : SIE

31. NATO member since 1982 : SPAIN

33. Jane Austen's "most disagreeable man in the world" : MR. DARCY

34. You might subscribe to it via PayPal : EZINE

35. Many a fed. holiday : MONday - MLK, President's, Memorial, Labor, and Columbus DAYS

36. Canyon formers : EROSIONS - anyone try working with RIVER?

37. Jazz greats, maybe : NBA STARS - second time this week with this misdirection

38. Suffer financially : TAKE A HIT

41. Bit of schoolyard backtalk : "ARE TOO~!"

42. One getting strokes, in a good way : LAP CAT - uh-huh, that's just what I was thinking....

43. Can't tolerate : ABHORS

44. Uninspiring : DRY

45. Olive enthusiast : POPEYE

46. Moguls : CZARS - Tried HILLS, which could have worked

47. Farmyard chorus : OINKS

54. Ocean delicacy : ROE

55. Chill : NIP

Splynter

Friday, April 25, 2014, Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: This is no PG-13 puzzle.

We have a letter replacement puzzle with the change from the highly controversial X-rating to the family friendly G-rating. We have asterisks and a reveal which made this seem as awfully easy theme for a Friday. There are many proper names, some difficult, but what makes it special is the phrases chosen to have the final letter of the second (all 3-letters long) of a two word phrase replaced, all begin as somewhat salacious in nature and emerge as completely harmless with the G ending. The rest of the puzzle has much in the way of fun fill, especially longer ones like BEAN BAGS, IN UNISON, ESPECIALLY, PIZZA SLICE, SEMI-ANNUAL ZERO MOSTEL, CHEAP THRILL, MIRACLE MILE.  Mr. Donaldson has been published often in the NYT as well as being a regular  contributor at Crossword Fiend though he has published no puzzles in the LAT since 2011. Here is the interview C.C. did back when. LINK.

8. *Scarlet letter? : SIN TAG (6). Most people are lucky they do not really collect a SIN TAX, and as I said I reread Scarlett Letter recently...meh.

20A. *Rio jokester? : BRAZILIAN WAG. (12). If you are familiar with BRAZILIAN WAX you can understand why it is x-rated. I chose not to link the VIDEO and was fascinated to learn the practice goes back 6 or 7 thousand years.

33A. *Law against certain intra-family marriages? : OEDIPUS REG. (10). I am sure you all know the STORY of Oedipus REX. Likely not related to REX PARKER, NY Times puzzle blogger.

38A. *Game disc on the farm? : CHICKEN POG. Chicken is one of many POX diseases, and it was thought at one time they all had sexual transmission links. POGS were popular when my kids were little.

48A. *Fighter running on tequila? : MARGARITA MIG.  The Russian fighter jet. I hope the pilots are not fueled by alcohol. Margaritas often lead to partying and who wants a drunken bomb dropped...

And the reveal,  59A.  Like the answers to the starred clues before they were edited : X-RATED.

Across:

1. Sputnik letters : CCCP. The Cyrillic letters for SSSR look like our Latin letters CCCP.

5. Insert : ADD.

14. "Hello, I didn't see you there" : OH HI. My first misstep, as I wanted "Oops." made me question CCCP for a second.

15. Tax-advantaged vehicle : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

16. Like unmiked orators, maybe : HOARSE. Mr. Ed being often a hoarse horse, of course.

17. Collins contemporary : BAEZ. Judy and Joan, my first thought was Joan Collins. One of my favorite concerts was watch Joan Baez perform at Tanglewood. I could not find that performance, so... LINK. (4:45).

18. Like some sales : SEMI-ANNUAL. Like Macy's white sale.

22. Part of a black suit : SPADE. Sometimes I enjoy feeling stupid, as all I thought of were suits of clothing and Sam Spade before the playing card misdirection caught me.

23. It may be packed : GUN. Cute, and fits well with Sam Spade. How many of our readers pack heat?

24. Grand squared : MIL. 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000. Mil not an abbreviation but a colloquialism.

27. General of Chinese cuisine : TSO.

28. "Bueller? Bueller?" actor Stein : BEN. Jimmy Kimmel's uncle.

29. "Die Lorelei" poet : HEINE. Lorelei was pictured as the temptress on the rock.

31. Shaver brand : WAHL.

35. First-century Judean monarch Herod __ : AGRIPPA.  Grandson of Herod the Great, and friendly with Caligula.

37. Portion portion : SUB-PART. Lawyers love sub-folders, sub-parts, sub-sections.

40. Prefix with morph : ECTO. And its brother ENDO.

41. Healthy greens : KALES. The KALE SMOOTHIE is the most popular drink at Whole Foods market here.

42. Storage unit : BIN.

43. Muscle prone to tears, briefly : ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament. One of the 4 major knee ligaments.

44. Fashion monogram : YSL. Yves St. Laurent.

45. A long way : FAR.

46. Waffle __ : FRIES. I really wanted IRONS, this was obscure, but it could have been Curly___ and I would have been no better off.

52. Tevye-playing Tony winner : ZERO MOSTEL. As old timers may remember I did get to see Topol in his farewell tour as Teyve. Zero's son Josh was/is also a comedian.

55. Prom rental : LIMO.

56. Inverse trig function : ARCSIN. Interesting to see SIN twice in the grid even if the words and sound are so different.

57. Spreading tree : ELM. Most New England elms were devastated by Dutch Elm Disease when I was growing up, thought the one is this painting will last forever.

58. Foreign attorneys' degs. : LLBS. In the US the degree is a Juris Doctor, a doctorate degree requiring a completed undergraduate degree. My father went into a program where he never received a college degree only his LLB in the 30's. The "LL." of the abbreviation for the degree is from the genitive plural legum (of lex, law). Creating an abbreviation for a plural, especially from Latin, is often done by doubling the first letter (e.g. "pp" for "pages"), thus "LL.B." stands for Legum Baccalaureus in Latin. It is sometimes erroneously called "Bachelor of Legal Letters" to account for the double "L".

60. Call for help : SOS. I just love the term"backronym." LINK.

61. "Uh-huh" : YEAH.

Down:

1. Georgia county planned to be the 2017 home of the Braves : COBB. This is where Marietta is located, and is named after an old Senator, not Ty.

2. Blackens : CHARS.

3. It doesn't provide lasting enjoyment : CHEAP THRILL. Dennis, they are playing our song. Immediately followed by a quickie...hmmm.

4. Quick lunch, perhaps : PIZZA SLICE. Cute clue.

5. Window alternative : AISLE. Airplane seats, not house related.

6. German crowd? : DREI. Three is a crowd even in German.

7. Broken : DAMAGED.

8. Gymnast Johnson who was a "Dancing With the Stars" winner : SHAWN. I wonder if this show is popular enough to consider this a fair clue.   WATCH. (4:37) BTW his name is Hough.

9. Inner Hebrides isle : IONA. Off the coast of Scotland, it is also the name of a College in NY. In Hebrew the name means dove.

10. Da __, Vietnam : NANG. A name I only know from the War.

11. Play about Capote : TRU.

12. Hard-rock link : AS A.

13. Crystallize : GEL. As an idea it is a common expression, but logically are gels crystalline? J E L L OH NO!

19. How a chorus may sing : IN UNISON. Hopefully.

21. Vow on a stand : I DO. "do you solemnly swear...?"

24. Site of Los Angeles' Museum Row : MIRACLE MILE. I do not know that are, only the one in Coral Gables.

25. Like krypton : INERT. Without the capital K, Superman is not involved.

26. Not a __ stand on : LEG TO.

28. Contoured chairs : BEAN BAGS. What a classy description for a very cheap item.

29. Connecting flight site : HUB.

30. In particular : ESPECIALLY.

31. Nonsensical : WACKY. Are cluing favorite.

32. Ottoman nobility : AGHAS.

33. Ajar, poetically : OPE. There is no 'ope for this clue.

34. Curly-tailed canine : PUG. Funny looking guys.

36. Soccer stat : PKS. Penalty kicks. And an appropriate shout out for our regular and her many imitators.

39. 1979 World Series champs : PIRATES. Random even for a baseball fan such as myself; though I recall the Mazeroski home run in 1960, nothing about 1979 stands out in my mind unless it was the Sister Sledge , "We are family." (3:34) team..

43. What life imitates, so it's said : ART.

45. Fern leaf : FROND. Also from Palm trees.

46. Festival features : FILMS.

47. 1994 film king : SIMBA. Lion King anyone.

48. Very : MOST.

49. Grenoble gal pal : AMIE.

50. Move shortly? : RELO. Perfectly regular clue, but I for one do not like the fill.

51. "My stars!" : GOSH.

52. Either of two stubborn Seuss characters : ZAX. Not in my wheelhouse.

53. Go off : ERR. I think of this meaning more yelling at someone., "I went off on my secretary when she brought me a plain latte."

54. Early 'N Sync label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America. I went to grammar school with one of the Sarnoff children. he did not light up the screen.

Well chugging along through early spring, which has hung on giving us some spectacular weather, we will be back in May.  Some obscure proper names, but it is Friday; enjoy the week end all

Lemonade 714 out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Kazie, who has been faithfully contributing to our blog since the summer of 2008. Over the years, she has shared with us many photos from her overseas trips. Kay speaks fluent French and German.

Kay and her husband Barry on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

Thursday, April 24, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Mr. Nobody

17. Nobody special : ORDINARY JOE.

24. Nobody special : MAN IN THE STREET.

52. Nobody special : AVERAGE CITIZEN.

61. Nobody special : JOHN Q. PUBLIC.

This is a pangram, a puzzle that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once. I have had the pleasure of blogging several of Jeffrey's puzzles, and this is the second one this month.

I liked the conversational feeling with phrases like WE HAD TO and OH, THAT ONE. Then we are AT THE GAME with an OPEN NET. Other nice sparkly fill like VROOM, YAMMER and ZELIG  rounded out my enjoyment at solving this one.

Now lets fill in the rest of the blanks.

Across:

1. __ comedy : BLACK.

Dark humor...

6. First vice president : ADAMS.

11. Tar's direction : AFT.

14. Hike : RAISE.

15. Not adept in : BAD AT.

16. Prefix with state : TRI.

19. No. that may have an ext. : TEL.ephone.

20. Lab subjects : OVA.

21. Arrest : NAB.

22. Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy : ETHEL.

29. "They made us!" : WE HAD TO.

30. "Bring on the weekend!" : TGIF. Thank goodness, it's Friday.

32. Edna Ferber novel : SO BIG. Her 1924 Pulitzer Prize winner.

35. 24-hr. news source : MSNBC.

37. Cartoon monkey : ABU. The kleptomaniac scamp in "Aladdin."

38. Museum supporter, familiarly : THE NEA. National Endowment for the Arts.

40. Complain : YAMMER. Not me!

42. Heathrow approx. : ETD. Estimated Time of Departure.

43. Speeding sound : VROOM.

(OK, maybe that was a bit too fast…)

47. Waist-reduction plans : DIETS.

48. Sharpen : WHET.

50. Stuck on a stick : IMPALED. Vlad, where are you when we need kabobs?

57. City northeast of Colgate University : UTICA.

58. '60s hot spot : NAM.

59. Yalie : ELI.

60. Superdome city's Amtrak code : NOL. New Orleans.

66. Suffix with alp : INE.

67. Parting word : ADIEU.

68. Commandeer : SEIZE.

69. Selected on a questionnaire, with "in" : X'ed.

70. Cinque plus due : SETTE. Five plus two = seven (Italian).

71. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR. For our musical interlude this morning, we have the complete version. 10:13.


Down:

1. Halloween carrier? : BROOM. Haha, had me fooled for a while!

2. Grub or chigger : LARVA.

3. Quinn of "Elementary" : AIDAN.

4. Emmy-winning forensic series : CSI.

5. "Women in Love" director Russell : KEN.

6. Father of Isaac : ABRAHAM.

7. They're handy for overnight stays : DAY BEDS.

8. Small, medium or lge. : ADJ.ective.

9. "A revolution is not a dinner party" statesman : MAO.

10. Guide : STEER.

11. Enjoying a Jazz performance? : AT THE GAME. In Utah. Basketball.

12. Organization that supports the Dalai Lama : FREE TIBET. Very interesting to see this entry so close to MAO.

13. Money drawer : TILL.

18. Lit. compilation : ANTH.ology.

23. Asian holiday : TET.

25. Victory cry : I WIN!

26. Much of Israel : NEGEV. While looking for an image of the NEGEV desert, I stumbled on this interesting one.

Pretzel Tree at Kibbutz Revivim in Negev

27. Place to get off: Abbr. : STN. RR station.

28. Jones who plays the announcer in "The Hunger Games" : TOBY. I still have not seen the movie or read the trilogy.

31. Apparel sometimes protested : FURS.

32. Chicken paprikash, e.g. : STEW. Hungarian paprikás csirke, or paprika chicken.

33. "Hmm ... I was thinking of something else" : OH THAT ONE.

34. Tormented, as with doubt : BEDEVILED.

36. West Pointer : CADET.

39. Spotlit number, perhaps : ARIA.

41. Dress length : MIDI. Maxi, mini or midi - I always need perps to decide.

44. Texting exclamation : OMG. Oh…my…god.

45. Good scoring opportunity, in hockey : OPEN NET.

46. Rhesus monkey, e.g. : MACAQUE. Did you spell it right the first time?

49. Gumshoe : TEC.

51. Sagging : LIMP.

53. South Asian rulers : RAJAS.

54. Woody Allen mockumentary : ZELIG. I just don't get his humor.

55. "My Fair Lady" lady : ELIZA.

56. Sweeter, in a way : NICER.

57. Windows alternative : UNIX. Because "Mavericks" wouldn't fit.

62. Pindar product : ODE.

63. Parade member? : HIT. Fun misdirection!

64. Put into operation : USE.

65. __ canto : BEL. Italian for "beautiful singing."

That's all for now!

Marti

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 Matt Skoczen

Theme:  Suddenly it all becomes clear, or Bring on the V-8 can. Each two word theme entry starts with the letters A, and HA, respectively, and represents the unifier in a literal way.  Without the unifier, there would have been no AHA MOMENT for me.  I can't think of anything else these four entries might have in common.

 17A. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" collaborator : ALEX HALEY.  More famous for ROOTS, perhaps.

 24A. "The helpful place" sloganeer : ACE HARDWARE.  Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man. 

 36A. Many a circus employee : ANIMAL HANDLER.  Somebody has to clean up after the elephants.

 53A. Wayne Manor resident : AUNT HARRIET.  I know nothing about this character.  Do they keep her locked in the attic?

And the unifier -   62A. Light-bulb-over-the-head instance, and a hint to 17-, 24-, 36- and 53-Across : AHA MOMENT. 

Hi Gang, JzB reporting for duty.  It's been over three months since the Christian Feast of the Epiphany, but that doesn't mean we can't have our own little experiences of sudden and striking realization.  I had one once in a graduate level class on organic photochemistry.  I was spinning my wheels for half the term, then suddenly one day I got it.  Then I couldn't understand why I had ever thought it was hard.  Baffling experience.   Let's see if we can find any startling revelations in today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Spice organizer : RACK.  You can alphabetize your spice jars on a wooden structure specifically defined for that purpose.  Or you can randomly place them on a lazy susan, as I do, and hope for the best.

5. 48-Across brand : SOBE.  An abbreviation of SOuth BEach, as in Miami's upscale area.  They make teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages, and are owned by PepsiCo.  Along with 48. Iced drink : TEA.  Tin Man - Is ice in tea acceptable?

9. Right-angled supports : L-BARS.  Available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

14. K-12, to textbook publishers : EL-HI.  ELementary and HIgh school.

15. Neck and neck : TIED.  As in the score of an even game.   Or this.

Not an expression of affection

16. Slightly moisten : BEDEW.  As if moistened by dew [or whatever.]  Goes back to the 14th century.

19. Green hue : OLIVE.  The only color I allow in a martini.  When Bluto made off with Popeye's best girl, was he OLIVE with envy?

20. Camcorder button : RECord.

21. Google executive chairman Schmidt : ERIC.  Alternate clue, JzB's son. I would have known it then.

22. Had too much, briefly : OD'ED.  OverDosed, as on Easter candy.

23. Antlered animal : ELK.  Cervus canadensis, one of the largest species in the deer family.

28. Mu followers : NUS.  Mind your mus and NUS.  It's all Greek alphabet to me.  Is that news?

29. Pt. of a sentence : PHR.  Phrase.  Seems like an odd abrv.

30. Vote against : NAY.

31. Certain commuter's destination: Abbr. : STN  Station.

32. Belmonts frontman : DION.  DiMucci.  Do you wonder why?

34. 1930s migrants : OKIES  Escapees from the Oklahoma dust bowl.  About 15% of the population of the state fled to California along Rt. 66.

42. Scheherazade's milieu : HAREM. The "forbidden place," home to the many wives [and concubines] of a polygynous household, off limits to men.

43. Designer St. Laurent : YVES.

45. Tech sch. overlooking the Hudson : RPI.  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest technological university in the English speaking world.

49. "Just an update" letters : FYI.  For Your Information.

52. Pipe bend : ELL.

56. Actress Peeples : NIA.   AKA Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples. She was once young and restless.

Source

57. Sasquatch cousin : YETI.  Distant cousins, I presume.

58. "The Dukes of Hazzard" deputy : ENOS.

59. Mt. Sunflower is its highest point : KANsas

60. Antacid, briefly : BROMO Seltzer.

64. When many take morning breaks : AT TEN. TEN AM also fits. 

65. Proofreading mark : DELE.  Delete.

66. Winans of gospel : CECE.  Not always, though.   C.C. - can you sing like this?

67. Calf-roping loop : NOOSE.  Greek cattle require NUS.

68. Sign : OMEN.

69. You might steer one with your feet : SLED.  Downhill racer.

Down:

1. Behind, or hit from behind : REAR END Back side [noun] of a car, for example, or collide with one from the back [verb.]

The car is a Nissan Skyline

2. Christian chant : ALLELUIA.   Goes back to Middle English, via late Latin and Greek from Hebrew for a song of praise to God.  Lots of these on Easter.

3. Inspects : CHECKS ON.

4. "Kid-tested" cereal : KIX.  Puffed whole grain corn

Part of a complete breakfast?

5. Pasta or potato, e.g. : STARCH.  Cereal, too, like KIX, Trix or Chex.

6. More slippery : OILIER.

7. Nut-bearing tree : BEECH.

8. Big name in ice cream : EDY.  And a Crossword favorite.

9. Wall St. deal : LBO.  Leveraged Buy Out.  IPO also fits.

10. Subordinate to : BELOW. 

11. Athletic brand founded by Adolf Dassler : ADIDAS.  A new fact to quickly forget.

12. Backslide : REVERT.  To a previous inferior condition.  As in forgetting new facts?

13. Birthplace of Bergman and Garbo : SWEDEN.  Ingrid and Greta.

Ingrid

Greta

18. Accumulation : HEAP.  Pile up, not necessarily involving a rear end.

25. "Eso Beso" singer : ANKA.  Paul.  That kiss.

26. Picnic worry : RAIN.  Ants, too.

27. Turned green, say : DYED.  She dyed from envy, turning OLIVE.

33. Bethesda-based medical org. : NIH.  National Institutes of Health.  American medial research agency, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

34. Resistance unit : OHM.  Electricity

35. Devious : SLY.

37. Field with roots and logs : MATH.  Clever clue

38. __ rug : AREA.

39. King with three daughters : LEAR.  Regan, Cordelia, and the unfortunately named Goneril.

40. Symbol of balance : EVEN KEEL.

41. Faith : RELIANCE.

44. Italicized : SLANTED.   Some think I have Italicized political views.

45. Sunglass Hut brand : RAYBAN.

 Are they against the Law?

46. Mexico's __ Vallarta : PUERTO.

47. Altogether : IN TOTO.   "What happened to the meat balls I was going to have for lunch," inquired the Wizard.  "I believe they are all together IN TOTO," Dorothy replied.

49. Fireworks highlight : FINALE.   A big end, not to be confused with  REAR END

50. Naval petty officers : YEOMEN.  Maybe Spitz can elaborate.

51. "Make __": Picard catchphrase : IT SO.   Go get 'er done.

54. Movie listing listings : TIMES.

55. Bring up again? : REHEM.  Another clever clue.  A HEM is a narrow cloth edge folded over and sewn to provide a finished look and prevent unraveling. REHEMing a dress or skit would make it shorter.

Por Ejemplo

61. What two heads are better than : ONE.

62. Disturbance : ADO.

63. Intro givers : MCS.  Masters of Ceremonies. 

That wraps up this nicely done puzzle.  Hope your forehead got through it unscathed.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday Apr 22, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Save the LAST word for me! Bruce and Gale's Tuesday offering was fun to do and to blog for this Husker coming in from the computer bullpen.


20A. Fictional legal secretary : DELLA STREET. She too was instrumental in foiling Hamilton Berger

34A. The 1969 Mets, e.g. : CINDERELLA STORY. Every golfer knows Carl's from Caddyshack

 43A. Cheesy appetizer : MOZZARELLA STICK

And the reveal (also how toy Tonka trucks were built)

58A. Constructed for endurance, and a hint for the word hidden in 20-, 34- and 43-Across : BUILT TO LAST

Let's trek onward to see what slightly LATE Easter eggs Gail and Bruce left for us. 

Across:

1. "Battlestar Galactica" genre : SCI-FI. I put 2001 A Space Odyssey at the top of my list. 

6. Rejuvenation destination : SPA

9. Thyroid, e.g. : GLAND. How my doctor found out I had hypo-active thyroid gland

14. Couldn't stomach : HATED. Middle school kids either HATE something or find it AWESOME. Surely their phones have a thesaurus!

15. Weather report backdrop : MAP

16. Bro : HOMIE.

17. Colgate rival : ORAL B

18. Catering dispenser : URN. A staple in every church basement

19. Put on a pedestal : EXALT

23. __-pitch softball : SLO. I've seen a SLEW of friends rack up bad injuries in this game. Check your birth certificate boys!

24. Hubbub : ADO

25. Charlie Parker's instrument : ALTO SAX. Professional muscian who is marrying my daughter named his son Parker in honor of Charlie.

27. Fed. benefits issuer : SSA

30. Chatters : GABS

33. Caseworker's coll. major, perhaps : SOC (Sohsh)

40. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO ...and then split

41. Mormon sch. : BYU

42. Director Kazan : ELIA

48. Historic time : ERA. Is Tiger Woods' over?

49. Arizona county or its seat : YUMA

50. Gives a thumbs-up : OKS. That corral was in Tombstone, not Yuma

51. Prom accessory : CORSAGE. You might want to let her mom pin that on!

55. Menu words : ALA

57. __ Dhabi : ABU

64. Exodus mount : SINAI

66. __ Fring, "Breaking Bad" drug kingpin : GUS. #3 in TV Guide's nastiest villains of all time

67. Elementary seed : OVULE

68. Colorful aquarium fish : TETRA

69. Broom rider : HAG

70. Evenings, on marquees : NITES. Correct spelling if English made sense

71. German industrial city : ESSEN

72. Sound of annoyance : TUT

73. Hemingway's "The __ of Kilimanjaro" : SNOWS

Down:

1. Not barefoot : SHOD. Back to flip flops now!

2. Part of TLC : CARE

3. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL

4. Guy : FELLA. I remember singing Standing on the Corner from The Most Happy Fella in high school boy's glee or was it in boy's OCTET?

5. Govt. security pass : ID BADGE. My guide mishandled an id badge going through a door in a nuclear power plant and a lady with a machine gun appeared post haste!

6. Lewd material : SMUT. Is this an anachronism today?

7. Henry VIII's last wife Catherine : PARR. Hey, another LAST thrown in. She just outlived him.

8. Breathing trouble during sleep : APNEA. Does snoring = apnea?

9. Inner city areas : GHETTOS. It's now an adjective, as in, "That is so ghetto!"

10. Bagel topping : LOX

11. Stock up on : AMASS

12. Nabisco cookie named for its flavor : NILLA. Gotta love 'em.

13. Rehab program : DETOX. It was painful, but one saved dad. Not my brother.

21. Use an updraft, say : SOAR. Soarin' is a very popular ride at EPCOT

22. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA. Born Free, my dad's an obstetrician

26. Large wedding band : OCTET

27. Bathtub buildup : SCUM. Tut, tut

28. __-Japanese War : SINO

29. 1998 animated film with soldiers, workers and a queen : ANTZ

31. Actress Neuwirth : BEBE. Who could have done Lilith better?

32. In a sneaky way : SLYLY

35. Sleeps lightly : DOZES. I can do a refreshing 5 min. doze. You?

36. Humdinger : LULU. If you're hip, you've heard of this Lulu.

37. Mishmash : OLIO. CC's usual email subject line

38. "Jessie's Girl" singer Springfield : RICK

39. Chatters : YAKS. YAKety Sax was Benny Hill's theme song but I don't think Charlie Parker ever played it.

44. High-spirited horse : ARABIAN. Much preferred to ARAB alone.

45. Sauce brand with "Robusto!" flavors : RAGU. LaVerne and Shirley had the Big RAGU

46. "I __ my wit's end!" : AM AT

47. Oater hangouts : SALOONS. Was Miss Kitty's the most famous?

51. Social stratum : CASTE

52. Big Apple stage honors : OBIES

53. Pipsqueaks : RUNTS

54. Highest unstriped ball : EIGHT. Eight ball was the game of choice in my Uncle's SALOON for us kids

56. Trouble-making chipmunk : ALVIN

59. Tropical party : LUAU

60. USAF rank : TSGT

61. Caddy or Jag : AUTO

62. Large quantity : SLEW.

63. Hardy's "Pure Woman" : TESS

65. "Just the Way You __": Bruno Mars hit : ARE. I'll take the Lettermen's version.

Off to golf league on a beautiful spring day. I hope we aren't, uh, LAST!

Husker